Ohio State-Iowa keys: Can Kaleb Johnson, Hawkeyes upset Will Howard, Buckeyes?

The Big Ten may have expanded and added more big-time matchups, but No. 3 Ohio State vs. Iowa is an old-school pairing that Big Ten purists love.

The game comes at the perfect time and is important for both teams. A win would put Iowa right back in the College Football Playoff race, while the Buckeyes get their first true test before playing at Oregon next weekend.

Here’s a look at a few keys to the game.

Line of scrimmage is critical for Iowa

For Iowa to have a chance, it needs to produce at least a stalemate along the line of scrimmage. The Hawkeyes’ defensive line relies heavily on a two-gap scheme that is built to stop the run. Often that doesn’t lead to penetration, but it clogs the gaps and can frustrate opposing offenses.

Iowa senior Yahya Black and junior Aaron Graves are quality interior defenders but don’t often generate statistics based on what they are asked to do. Senior defensive ends Deontae Craig and Ethan Hurkett rotate with junior Max Llewellyn and sophomore Brian Allen, and that quartet has combined for six of Iowa’s 10 sacks this season.

Iowa ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (62.0). The Buckeyes’ running game ranks third nationally in yards per carry (6.6). Along with two of the nation’s top runners in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State boasts a talented and tough offensive line. Stalwarts Donovan Jackson and Josh Fryar remain, while transfers Josh Simmons (San Diego State) and Seth McLaughlin (Alabama) have started every game at left tackle and center, respectively.

The other side is where Iowa needs to produce to stay competitive with the Buckeyes. Iowa’s running attack has dwarfed its output from the past three seasons. The Hawkeyes average 250.3 yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry, up from 115.9 and 3.3, respectively in 2023.

Along with a few tweaks in the running game, a healthy and experienced offensive line is a major reason for success. The Hawkeyes’ starting five total 144 career starts, led by left tackle Mason Richman (43) and right guard Connor Colby (39). Their physicality has elevated running back Kaleb Johnson, who has 685 yards and nine touchdowns and averages 8.4 yards per carry.

“For Iowa to win this game, they’ve got to control the ball on the ground against a very good front seven,” CBS college football analyst Aaron Taylor said. “That’s a strength on strength, a fair fight with Kaleb. And they’ve also got to be able to steal some possessions. They’ve got to be able to hit some cheap shots. You’re not going to be able to string together 10- to 12-play drives on this defense. You’ve got to have some chunk plays.”

Ohio State retained several NFL-caliber defenders to build perhaps college football’s best defensive line. Senior defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau and senior defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton form the core of a defense that ranks second nationally in total defense at 196.5 yards per game.

Ohio State’s LBs vs. Johnson

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is known for his 4-2-5 defense, relying on two linebackers to hold down the running game and locking down the passing game with five defensive backs.

Last week against Michigan State, Ohio State used three linebackers, showing more of a 4-3 look for 44 percent of the game. It was the second-most the Buckeyes have utilized it this season and helped hold the Spartans to 47 rushing yards and 1.9 yards per carry.

Knowles liked what he saw from the formation but wants more from his linebackers, specifically as tacklers.

According to TruMedia, starting linebackers Cody Simon and Sonny Styles each have missed three tackles this season. Arvell Reese is the third linebacker in the rotation and has missed two while making nine tackles.

The challenge this week isn’t just making tackles. It’s keeping Johnson from falling forward, which he does better than nearly everybody else in the country. The Ohio native is the country’s second-leading rusher, and he’s third nationally with 5.57 yards after contact. Ohio State, by comparison, ranks 28th, giving up 2.73 yards after contact, so loading the box isn’t the only answer.

“Our linebackers need to continue to become better tacklers, particularly this week, knockback tacklers,” Knowles said. “This running back is the king of turning a 2-yard gain into a 5-yard gain, which leads to second-and-5 and third-and-2. We need to work on our tackling with an attitude of knocking people back.”

That starts in practice.

“You have to do a good job in practice of thudding people up and making sure there’s an extra emphasis on that,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They guys at the point of attack have to do a good job of wrapping up, be strong and be powerful.”

Ohio State has one of the best defenses in the country against the run, giving up 61.75 yards per game. That number will be tested in a major way.

“It’s going to be all 11,” Tuimoloau said. “Nobody can take a break. It’s going to be one of those games, old school, bang and get after it.”

He’s right, it will take all 11 players to stop Johnson, but it will be the first major test for the new linebacker group. And it may come down to whether those players can fill the correct gaps and gang tackle Johnson when the time comes.

Is Howard ready?

Through four games, the strength of Ohio State’s offense looks like its rushing attack, led by Judkins and Henderson. The Buckeyes have run for 227 yards per game, but if Ohio State is going to sustain drives, it’ll need to rely on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.

Iowa typically doesn’t allow teams to run up and down the field at will. Even in its loss to Iowa State, Iowa allowed just 89 rushing yards. That means Howard must make the right plays at the right time. For the most part, he has done that through four games.

He has thrown for 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions. He hasn’t faced much pressure as Western Michigan is the only team to get more than 18 percent of pressure on its snaps against Ohio State, and it blitzed 40 percent of the time.

Iowa hasn’t brought much pressure, blitzing on just 19.6 percent of its snaps, but it has a sound defense that prepares well for its opposition. Day said there’s no out-scheming Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker, so the Buckeyes have to be good at what they do, and that means Howard has to deliver the ball quickly and on time.

He struggled early against Michigan State, throwing one interception and nearly throwing another in the red zone, but it was dropped.

When Ohio State played Iowa in 2022, the Buckeyes shut down the Hawkeyes’ offense, giving up just 158 total yards, and the lone touchdown was a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Iowa’s offense is better than a few years ago mainly because of how productive Johnson has been. With that, Iowa likely will try to win the field position battle and time of possession, which means Howard has to sustain drives.

Iowa’s two-high safety defense is built to make explosive plays hard for the quarterbacks, but that’s fine with Howard. He thrives in play-action and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s run-pass-option scheme.

Kelly won’t put too much pressure on Howard, but this is the first chance Howard has had to show that he can move the offense even against the best defenses.

Is Iowa’s secondary up to the challenge?

In four games, Ohio State has generated 14 pass plays of at least 25 yards. In 14 games last year, Iowa’s defense allowed 13 total, but the Hawkeyes have given up eight through four games.

This year’s secondary setbacks have been a bit surprising because the Hawkeyes returned four starters. Most of the big plays have come from miscommunication and misapplied techniques, which infuriate Parker but are correctable mistakes. In some ways, that’s a good thing for Iowa.

“It’s a team game,” Parker said. “Whether somebody didn’t jam somebody or somebody wasn’t playing half coverage when they’re supposed to, there’s multiple things that go on that we have to get corrected.”

Iowa’s secondary almost exclusively uses the two-high safety look to force opponents to throw and play ground-acquisition football. Ohio State can play that way, but the Buckeyes have some of the country’s best receivers.

Senior Emeka Egbuka spurned the NFL for one final season with the Buckeyes and has a team-high 21 catches for 362 yards. True freshman Jeremiah Smith has caught 19 passes for 364 yards and five scores. Smith, the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, has caught touchdown passes in four consecutive games. Third wide receiver Carnell Tate has 14 receptions for 219 yards. All three stand at least 6 feet 1 and have been mismatches for every secondary they have faced.

“Needless to say, they’re balanced, and they have good talent at all positions,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It’s not like you can load up in any one area; you just have to play great team defense. It’s probably the only way you have a chance to slow them down.”

The key for Iowa is to not allow explosive passing plays, and it is capable of that. Troy hit two 60-plus touchdown passes deep past Iowa’s right cornerback, but Parker didn’t assign blame to TJ Hall for both. On the second score, safety Quinn Schulte had half the field and was responsible for the deep pass but was in a different coverage. Additionally, when Iowa State hit the Hawkeyes for a 75-yard touchdown down the middle of the field, linebacker Jay Higgins said he didn’t reroute Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel, who sprinted past safety Xavier Nwankpa for the score. Nwankpa didn’t play deep enough to keep a big play from turning into a touchdown.

Has Iowa learned enough from those mistakes to not repeat them against the Buckeyes? Probably. If Smith or Egbuka beats an Iowa defender for a big play, it’s more likely talent simply beating technique.

What does this game mean?

Ohio State is a 20-point favorite, so the expectation is that it will beat Iowa easily. The talent across Ohio State’s roster hasn’t been questioned; it’s whether it’ll translate on the field against a quality opponent.

The Buckeyes are 4-0 but played their first power conference opponent last week and beat down struggling Michigan State 38-7. But Iowa is a different level. Johnson is one of the best players in the country, and the defense, even if Cooper DeJean is in the NFL, is one of the best in the country. One week before a top-10 game at Oregon, this win would show a lot about how much Ohio State has improved on offense and on defense against the running game. This game won’t determine the season, but it will go a long way to showing just how good Ohio State is.

The Hawkeyes haven’t won in Columbus since 1991, although they have come close a few times. Also, Ferentz’s next win is No. 200 at Iowa, and he will move past Amos Alonzo Stagg into second place in Big Ten history. The Horseshoe is the only traditional Big Ten venue where Ferentz has not won. Iowa has played in Columbus only twice since 2009, and the next time is 2029 at the earliest.

Few people believe Iowa will compete in this matchup, which the program has embraced. If the Hawkeyes pull off the shocker, they are in prime position to contend for the Playoff and the Big Ten Championship Game. A loss doesn’t end their hopes for either spot, but how they perform matters.

(Top photos of Will Howard, left, and Kaleb Johnson: Howard: Jason Mowry / Getty Images; Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)